On February 23, 1997, Dolly the lamb was literally made. She is not the work of nature but of a man named Ian Wilmut and his team of scientists. Dolly came into being as the genetic replica of an ewe, of whom she is a clone. When the bewildering news spread around the world, there … Continue reading →

As a culminating activity to our introduction to Scientific Philosophy, the class will be discussing the nature of objectivity in science from a number of perspectives outlined in the course text. In groups of 2-3, for-credit learners will prepare the following to be delivered next Tuesday (October 16th): A one-minute introduction to their philosophical perspective … Continue reading →

Humans drive a rare salamander, and themselves, toward extinction – latimes.com The L.A. Times published an article only today about a rare salamander, the ajolote (or axolotl), and how they are being driven to extinction by human pollution and introduction of nonnative species in the canals of Xochimilco near Mexico City. The ajolote’s incredible ability to … Continue reading →

All Canadians live in igloos. I am Canadian, therefore I live in an igloo. The premises would be that I am Canadian and that Canadians live in igloos. The conclusion would be that I live in an igloo, because I’m Canadian. In this case, Canadians would be the middle term, the fact that Canadians live in igloos … Continue reading →

Americans are Fat John Smith is American Therefore, John Smith is Fat. Without first mentioning the fact that this syllogism is fundamentally flawed, because it is based on faulty, and subjectively untrue statements, we have to conclude that this syllogism is fundamentally valid. It is valid because the conclusion, is based, and directly taken from … Continue reading →

It’s been a busy week shaping up on the Philosophy 12 course blog, with comments and posts covering topics from morality to education, literature and the existence of good and evil. Threads of conversation and comments leading off in countless directions. Upon some conversation in class and reference to some of the blogs analytic – … Continue reading →